Before installing EV chargers, you should think about what EV charging policies you will implement at your site. Will they EV chargers be open to the public or restricted to a certain user group? Are the chargers going to be monetized or free for EV drivers to use? Will the same policy apply to every charger at your site, or will you mix and match permissions and pricing?
Whatever policy you choose, ensure that the signage posted at your site and notices circulated to employees/residents mirror the policies you set in your site host dashboard.
Fleet
Private depots
At private depots, you install chargers exclusively for your fleet to use. Pricing does not usually apply, since you own the vehicles and the chargers, and pay all the electricity bills. You can still track charger usage and estimate your costs through your dashboard, but there is no need to bill yourself usage fees.
If your private fleet chargers are installed “behind the fence”, you may want to remove all access control and allow drivers to start charging as soon as they plug—no RFID tap or app-based activation. Alternatively, you may still want to track which vehicles are charging and when by linking vehicles to a specific RFID card or EV driver account. All of this is possible from within your dashboard.
If your private fleet chargers are in a parking lot that can be easily accessed by others, consider adding access control to ensure only your drivers and vehicles can use the chargers. Setting these chargers to “private” will also hide them from any charger map app, minimizing the unwanted traffic you attract.
Mixed depots
Mixed-use depots combine fleet charging with another use case (such as workplace or multi-family), or allow multiple fleets to charge.
Access and pricing policies are very important at mixed depots. If you operate your own fleet, you may want to allow your vehicles to charge for free, but bill usage fees to third-party fleets, employees, or residents who share your charging infrastructure.
Using your dashboard, it’s also possible to configure a certain set of chargers for shared use, while reserving another set exclusively for your fleet.